Author's note: as ever no copyright infringement intended just messing around with other people's characters.

Thank you again to the wonderful SunflowerFran for pre-reading. You're a star!

And finally Merry Christmas if you're inclined to celebrate :) hope you're all staying safe and well. I'll be back again a couple of weeks. See you in 2022!


Entering the bar, Bella immediately found the bridal party in the middle of the room. Angela and Ben stood surrounded by their bridesmaids, groomsmen, and some close friends, all suited and booted. The best man, Mike, poured champagne for the group, and Jessica and Angela were telling Tyler stories from their school days. Bella's parents were on the other side of the bar holding court with Grandma Swan and a group of cousins. Ben's parents were similarly occupied entertaining their family members. The bar was buzzing with good conversation and the sound of the jazz quartet in the corner. Bella made a beeline for her sister, interrupting the conversation to make herself known.

"Ang!"

"Bella! You made it. Mum is going to kill you. She's been on all day that you weren't going to know what you were doing tomorrow. Hilarious! Nothing's changed, FYI. Just walk down the aisle behind me and smile." At this, Angela giggled and clapped Bella on the shoulder. Her dark hair was loosely curled around her shoulders, and she had chosen a cream pencil dress that looked classy and bridal for this evening. She was swaying slightly, and Bella had a good idea that this wasn't her first glass of bubbles today.

"Bella!" Mike greeted her with a kiss on each cheek and a squeeze of her waist. "Finally! Excuse me, another champagne flute over here, please?" he called over his shoulder to the bar staff.

"What kept you so long? We thought you'd fallen asleep. Can't start the party properly without the maid of honor."

"Oh, I don't know, Mike. Looks like you've managed without me so far." Bella retorted, earning a few chuckles from the group.

Handing her a glass of champagne, Mike sent her a megawatt smile and straightened his tie.

"I'll rephrase. You were missed. Not least by your mother."

Cringing, Bella accepted the drink and maneuvered herself so she was hidden from her mother's view by a few of the taller guys in the group.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I was late. I ran into an old friend staying at the hotel and lost track of time."

"Anyone we know?" asked Ben.

" I wouldn't think so. An old uni classmate. He's actually here with the conference this weekend."

"No way!" Jessica squealed. "You have an in with the hot doctor mini-break? Oh, please, can we go to find them for drinks later?"

Mike and Tyler pulled faces not too far away.

"Count us out," Tyler spoke up.

"You know, hot doctors come in all genders, right?" Bella raised an eyebrow and sipped her drink pointedly.

"We don't need supervision anyway, Bella. Better to leave the guys with the oldies and break off." Jessica added. "Oh, please, can we go? I bet doctors are up for a laugh after hours."

"Just so long as you both make it to hair and makeup in time and look fresh tomorrow. Tomorrow night you can get as messy drunk as you like, but I'd rather you weren't green-faced at the ceremony." Angela put in half-joking.

"Aye aye, sis! Don't worry; I'll keep Jessica in check."

The bridal party continued talking about the wedding, the speeches, and plans for tomorrow night. The most contentious topic was which tracks needed to be danced to when the DJ played them. Who knew Uptown Funk could be so divisive.

Mike had made his way round next to Bella and leaned to talk quietly to her.

"You'll save me a dance, right, Bella?"

Jumping at his sudden closeness, she felt caught off guard.

"Uhhhhh…"

"I mean, I think it would be nice if we took this opportunity to get to know one another a little better this weekend, right?" Mike pressed.

"I'm not-"

GONG!

A man in the hotel's livery raised his voice over the sound of the gong that had just been struck to announce it was time to move to the dining room, and the crowd pressed towards the table plan for the evening. Although the rehearsal was not the full guest list, it was still a sizable number when it included any family staying tonight. Close to fifty dining in all.

Thankfully, Bella had already seen the table plan, so she slipped ahead to go and find her seat between her father and Jessica. Her father stood behind Bella's chair, waiting to greet her. His brown eyes, salt and pepper hair cut short and prominent mustache gave him a warm, patriarchal quality. As Bella approached him, he opened his arms to envelop her in a hug. Kissing her cheek, he smiled as he pulled away with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Your mother's been looking for you," he teased.

Bella visibly cringed. "I know. I know. I wasn't avoiding her, you know. Just got caught up." She'd carefully avoided any mention of running into Edward. Charles Swan, ex-army and then ex-Met Police detective, could smell a lie of omission a mile off. The trick, Bella had learned over her life, was to give as few details as possible. This was particularly true when those details related to any man approaching one of Detective Swan's daughters. He had a protective streak that had stopped many friendships before they started for the Swan sisters.

"Besides," she continued. "Angela caught me up on the broad strokes."

Charlie gave a short laugh as he pulled out his daughter's chair, and they both took a seat at the long table. "You and I are both aware that's not going to cut it, Bells."

Her dad was the only one allowed to stray from Isabella or Bella when it came to her name. He had called her Bells since she was a toddler, probably before then, too. Despite hating most variations of her name, this moniker was permitted for one man only. "Yeah, all right. I'll catch up with Mum in the bar after dinner." Bella sighed, still smiling.

It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with her mum, but Renee had taken the Mother of the Bride role to a whole new level of involvement after Angela declared she didn't care what happened, as long as she was married to Ben at the end of the day. While it was nice to see her mum so happy for the couple and enthusiastic about their wedding, it was exhausting to try and keep up with the level of detail involved. The sourcing of ingredients, timings for each day on a spreadsheet, and the march down the aisle both ways with music timed to the second so you only heard the exact piece of music that 'fit the moment.'

"How's retirement treating you, Dad?" Bella tried to redirect the conversation.

"Um, good? I guess? I don't know. The wedding has kept me busy until now. I'm not sure I'm cut out for retirement, though. I might have to look for something else to fill my days."

"Two careers not enough for you, old man?" Bella elbowed him lightly as she spoke.

"Come on now, kid. I'm not made for a life of leisure. You know that. I'm not talking about anything big. Just something to get me out of the house every day and keep my mind active. Light security work or something."

Bella giggled. She couldn't imagine her dad doing anything like light security work. It just wasn't his speed at all. He was right that retirement wasn't his speed either. She hoped he could find something soon that would satisfy both him and her mum.

"How about you, Bells? Anything new going on?"

"Not right now. Pretty much the same. Different year, different students, same problems." She sighed. "I don't know. I Iove my job, but it feels like each year, the kids get less engaged. Or maybe I do? I just wish I could make more of a difference. It's so hard in a room full of thirty kids that changes each hour to see where you're making a difference. I don't get enough time to help them, you know? And that's even before you get to marking and reports and coaching them through exams that really have no practical use."

"Teaching is losing its luster already?"

"Yeah, I guess it is a bit. Maybe I should start looking into tutoring instead. I've heard they make good money, and if there are fewer kids to focus on, I could maybe feel more fulfilled and useful…" Bella trailed off, wondering about the possible opportunities. She wouldn't reach as many students but was she really reaching them now?

The room was filling up, and Jessica came to take her seat. Renee stopped on her way to her seat to speak with Bella.

"Bella, I've spoken with Angela. She told me she caught you up on the change in music for the exit. So my only request is that you please be on time tomorrow morning. No excuses. Hair and makeup are scheduled for 9 am, and you need some breakfast before we start the day, so be at Angela's room for 8 am. No later. In fact, set an alarm, won't you?" Renee stopped her slightly panicked rambling and peered down at Bella expectantly.

"Oh! Now? Set an alarm now?"

Sighing, Renee replied, "Yes, please."

Bella got out her phone and unlocked her screen and saw a missed call and text from an unknown number. That must be Edward.

She opened her clock app and set an alarm for 7 am, flipping the screen to face her mother when she was done to show her the alarm.

Sighing in relief, this time, Renee bent at the waist to plant a kiss on Bella's head.

"Thank you, dear." And with that, she moved on to her seat just past Grandma Swan.

Bella took the opportunity to read the new text message before she put her phone away again.

Don't forget about tomorrow night. We'll be in the bar if you fancy some post-dinner-drink drinks later ;) - E

Bella smiled at the screen as Jessica sat down next to her for dinner.

"I see that smile. Who's got you grinning like that? Oooh, is it your hot doctor?"

"No. I mean, yes, it's my friend I ran into earlier, but he's not my hot doctor." Bella replied.

"Could he be mine then?" Jessica teased. "Seriously though, if that's him, please can you ask him to meet us with some friends for drinks if he's staying in the bar? No joke! I saw one of these guys in reception earlier, and he was heart-stoppingly gorgeous. Good job he's medically trained." She giggled and reached to take a long pull of the wine glass that had just been filled to her right.

Bella thought about the conversation earlier this evening with someone she had once considered an adversary and now thought of as a friend. She thought about the way their values seemed to line up as they shared their experiences of working in the public sector. She thought about the unanswered text message on the device in her hands…

"Sure, hon," Bella said. "He actually offered to meet up later if the dinner ended early enough. I'll message him back."

Jessica bounced in her seat with a smile on her face while Bella typed.

I may take you up on that offer and bring a friend if that's OK?

Edward had responded before the first course was served.

The more, the merrier, although, be warned, the company here is just medical professionals. More scintillating tales of misbehaving patients await you.

"Okay, we're set. After dinner, we'll do a circuit of the room and then head to the bar to talk to some people that we haven't known all our lives." Bella reported to Jessica.

"Yes! Oh, I cannot wait. I wonder if the hot doc from reception will be there." Jessica tucked into her salmon terrine while expanding on the possible openings for her to introduce herself to the mystery man she'd glimpsed this afternoon. Bella smiled to herself while thinking of her weekend ahead, not looking quite so intense now that she could break up the wedding with some diverse company.

The meal was delicious, the service quick and effortless, and the conversation in the room merrily bubbled around them in a continuous stream. Bella caught up with her dad on what they had been up to outside of work. They spent time reminiscing over previous family weddings, like cousin Siobhan's, when the groom had gotten so drunk before the dinner even began, he forgot his speech notes (in his pocket) and decided to wing it. He recounted how he met Siobhan in a nightclub when she had drunkenly stolen a piece of furniture she liked and literally ran into him while evading club security. Siobhan hadn't been impressed, but luckily everyone in the family had a good sense of humor, so the family's newest member was spared any punishment beyond relentless ribbing whenever he stood in front of a mic.

Jessica filled Bella in on her new living arrangements over dessert. Now that Angela and Ben were marrying, Jessica had moved out of the flatshare and moved to a new house with four other housemates. All four were single women working in the city center and dating regularly, so the kitchen was the place to dissect the previous night's dates (that's if last night's date wasn't introducing himself to the house over breakfast, of course). It had been a couple of months, and while Jessica did admit to a few dramas already, she seemed happy enough with the new living situation for now.

As dinner finished, champagne was served around the table, and Angela chimed the side of her glass with a teaspoon and stood to speak in the ensuing hush.

"Thank you. I'll leave most of the talking to Ben, my soon-to-be-husband…" At this, a cheer quickly went up, and the happy couple beamed out at their family and friends. Angela raised her hands for quiet again and continued, "... but I just wanted to take an opportunity to say it means the world to us both to have you all here to share this happy occasion with us. I have dreamed of this moment almost since the day I met Ben, and I'm so pleased that not only do I get to marry him tomorrow…" she was interrupted again by an even more raucous cheer, "...but that we get to have so many people we love and care for with us for that moment. So a toast! Please raise your glasses to love in all of its wonderful forms. May tomorrow's celebrations be absolutely filled with it!"

"To Love!" replied the room, clinking glasses.

Bella looked around to see tears shining in more than a few eyes and smiled to herself. Her little sis looked unbelievably happy, and Bella could not wait to see her married and happier still, in under twenty-four hours.

After coffee, the party started to disperse either to the hotel bar or their rooms, depending how early their day tomorrow was starting. Bella and Jessica did the rounds and checked in with Angela and Renee, who were chatting quietly in the corner of the bar.

"I hope you girls aren't planning a late night," Renee said as the bridesmaids approached. "Early start, remember?"

"Yes, Mum," sighed Bella. "I've set the alarm. I promise we'll be there in good time."

Angela smiled indulgently at her sister and friend, and Renee let out a small noise of approval.

"Well, I'm calling it a night. I have a date with a sleep meditation on my phone, so I'm well-rested. See you all tomorrow." Angela kissed her mum, sister, and friend on the cheek before going to say goodnight to Ben on the other side of the bar.

"I'll follow suit if I can find your father," Renee said while peering around the room in search of him. "Bright and early, please, girls. I'll need you on top form tomorrow." Having found Charlie helping Grandma Swan out of the bar, Renee followed after them to turn in for the night too.

Jessica slid her eyes over to Bella and raised an eyebrow in question.

"All right, I'm on it, hon. Never fear." Bella giggled, pulling her phone out of her bag.

Where are you then? B x

"Ugh, we've got to move, Bella. You're Uncle James is looking like he's going to trap us any minute." Jessica complained. "Not to mention Mike. I mean, he's not that bad really, but I know you're not a fan, right?"

Bella rolled her eyes. Thankfully, Edward replied quickly.

On your sofa, of course. Did you know they turn the library into a bar after dinner? E x

"The library. Let's go!" Bella grabbed Jessica's hand and quickly slunk out of the conservatory bar avoiding both Uncle James, who had trapped another unfortunate woman forced to listen to his war stories from the trenches of his accounting firm, and the groomsmen who were taking shots with a wary looking Ben.

Oof! I hope they don't go too mad, thought Bella. Mum would kill them!

She and Jessica made a break and moved quickly to the other side of the hotel for a nightcap or two.